foreign policy

Debate Overview

With millions of Syrians seeking humanitarian assistance since the 2011 onset of a civil war with no end in sight, some are calling for the United States to admit refugees in far greater numbers. They point to the Statue of Liberty and say that America has a moral obligation to provide refuge to the tired and the poor. Others point to a spate of sexual assaults in Germany perpetrated by migrants, and they caution that the U.S. must be selective in admitting people into its borders.

Debate Overview

Despite decades of prosperity, recent trends have indicated that China’s economy may be weakening. Evidence that the world’s second-largest economy is slowing include decreased factory output, fixed-asset investments, auto sales, and imports, and this trend has fueled widespread concern among investors in the United States. It has also caused many to ask a question posed by Intelligence Squared US (IQ2US) back in 2011: How does China’s unique brand of capitalism stack up against America’s?

Robert Rosenkranz: Intelligence Squared US Debate Analysis
China and the U.S. are Long-term Enemies

The evolving relationship between China and the United States is one of inherent tension yet also mutual benefit. As China’s position as a world power strengthens, the U.S. must choose carefully how to respond and to relate as that growing power naturally changes the dynamics between the two countries.

For its part, the United States is not likely to allow itself to be shut out of the Pan-Asian region while China is not likely to sit back idly while a democratic coalition designed to limit its growth emerges. The natural inclination of nations in these positions is to assume that the other party has malicious intent. Yet, each country has reason to not act hastily upon such assumptions.

Given this landscape, how adversarial is the relationship between China and the U.S.? This was the subject of a recent debate in which the motion “China and the U.S. are long-term enemies” was discussed. I pointed out that this debate “could have been held three years ago…or three years from now…because the challenge of accommodating the shifting power relationships in Asia is a huge challenge and a long-term project.”

Originally Published in The Huffington PostIf only we had political leadership worthy of our military. That’s the one sentence take away from my recent trip to Iraq and Afghanistan (under the auspices of the Council on Foreign Relations, headed by Max Boot, their senior defense analyst, two of their military fellows and about 10 DVs — military parlance for distinguished visitors).